Typification of permafrost rocks in the area of the projected Elegest–Kyzyl–Kuragino railway

Abstract

The relevance of the research. Natural conditions of the construction area of the Elegest–Kyzyl–Kuragino railway are extremely difficult. The territory under development is located in two regions: the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Tyva Republic and crosses the complex mountain system of the Western Sayan Mountains. The climate of the territory under consideration is sharply continental, the average annual air temperature is –5.4 °С, the distribution of precipitation is uneven (northern part is 290–300 mm, southern part is 400–420 mm). Moreover, research is complicated by the length of the object, which is more than 400 km. For the Republic of Tuva, the projected railway will play an important role in the development of the fuel and energy complex, as well as in the development of the country’s economy as a whole. The study area is poorly studied, but it is characterized by the development of various geological processes, including permafrost. There is very little information on the distribution of permafrost, and it is scattered. The purpose of the work is to summarize and analyze information on the distribution of permafrost in the study area. The material examines the relationship of elevation marks with the spread of permafrost, and also gives a brief description of the geological conditions of the study area, relief, and possible dangerous geological processes. Methods of research. Generalization and construction of the map was carried out using AutoCAD and ArcGIS software products. As a result of the work, an analysis of literature sources on the distribution of permafrost and seasonally frozen rocks was carried out, information was generalized and a map of the distribution of permafrost by type (continuous, island, discontinuous) was constructed, and the boundaries of the distribution of permafrost were clarified in accordance with the altitude and type of permafrost.